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Massachusetts Governor Maura T. Healey ’92 said she was “disappointed” by former Harvard President Claudine Gay’s resignation, calling it the result of a broader attack on higher education during a radio interview Tuesday.
“I was disappointed in the whole way all of this unfolded,” Healey said.
After one week of silence as other federal and state lawmakers addressed the matter, Healey publicly addressed Gay’s resignation for the first time during an “Ask the Governor” segment on Boston Public Radio.
Healey previously lauded Gay as “a leader for our time” during a speech at Gay’s inauguration and told The Crimson that Gay would have “our entire state’s devoted partnership.” But as Harvard’s campus descended into turmoil following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Healey largely shied away from making public statements defending the embattled then-president.
Gay resigned last Tuesday after weeks of sustained blowback following her controversial congressional testimony early last month and mounting allegations of plagiarism in her academic publications. Gay’s departure marked the shortest presidential tenure in Harvard’s history.
During her congressional testimony, Gay was asked by Rep. Elise M. Stefanik ’06 (R-N.Y.) whether calls for the genocide of Jews violated Harvard’s code of conduct. Gay’s response — that “it depends on the context” — was widely criticized, sparking calls for her resignation from donors, alumni, and a majority of the House of Representatives.
Though Healey criticized Gay’s performance during the hearing, she noted that Gay later apologized for her remarks in an interview with The Crimson.
“I think that Claudine Gay and the other presidents have rightly apologized for some of the comments that they made that were very lawyerly in response and really missed the moment,” Healey said.
“It is absolutely clear we need to denounce genocide and denounce antisemitism and denounce Islamophobia, and we need to make sure that students are safe on campus,” she added.
Still, Healey slammed what she described as a “systemic effort right now by some on the far right” to discredit higher education at large.
Healey specifically addressed “the hypocrisy of Elise Stefanik,” whom she said “praised a candidate who has praised Hitler” — referring to Stefanik’s endorsement of New York congressional candidate Carl P. Paladino, who in 2021 called Adolf Hitler the “kind of leader we need today.” Paladino later said his remarks were misguided.
“I mean, the idea that the likes of someone like Elise Stefanik is going to call into question higher education — the value of higher education in this country — really galls me,” Healey said.
“We have to be strong about our academic institutions,” she added.
Spokespeople for Stefanik did not respond to a request for comment.
Healey also addressed the plagiarism allegations that colored the final weeks of Gay’s presidency, arguing that they were not disqualifying for Gay’s leadership.
“I think that Claudine Gay addressed those. I thought that the Corporation had addressed those,” Healey said. “I thought she could continue to lead the University.”
—Staff writer Aisling A. McLaughlin can be reached at aisling.mclaughlin@thecrimson.com.
—Staff writer Madeline E. Proctor can be reached at maddie.proctor@thecrimson.com.
